Most Played Core PC Games in August: Path of Exile Enters the Top 20 For the First Time

The top seven games in August’s Top 20 Most Played Core PC Games held on to their positions, apart from the ongoing battle for spots #2 and #3 between Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and Minecraft, which was lost by the latter this time around. While Heroes of the Storm, ARMA 3, and Rust dropped out of August’s Top 20, three new titles (re-)entered: Path of Exile made its first appearance ever at #20, while Farming Simulator 2017 and Guild Wars 2 re-entered at #13 and #15, respectively. Both titles have seen an increase in sessions played since their last appearance in our rankings. Overall, however, the majority of titles in August’s Top 20 showed a continued decline in sessions.

Hearthstone’s climb to #2 and Heroes of the Storm’s (HotS) exit from the Top 20 can be explained, in part, by looking at the churn rates between the two Blizzard titles in August: 47% of Americans who stopped playing HotS in August were playing Hearthstone. You can find more in-depth insights on general performance, crossover engagement, and churn franchises on a country level for several PC titles using our PC Games Market Monitor.

After its impressive debut at #7 in May’s ranking, Bluehole’s PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS’ (PUBG) position remained unchanged at #5 compared to July, despite its monthly update release and the introduction of first-person only servers in all game modes. In light of the great reception of PUBG’s Invitational during Gamescom at the end of August, next to the continued sales and rise in concurrent players, it’s likely the title will move up the ranks in September.

Path of Exile makes first appearance four years after release

Treating players with new content, along with ongoing development efforts, can push a title to previously unachieved popularity levels in the Top 20 ranking. Grinding Gear Games’ F2P online RPG, Path of Exile, entered the ranking for the first time at #20. The game, initially released in 2013, was named “2013 PC Game of the Year” by GameSpot and the “Best PC role-playing game of 2013” by IGN. In the beginning of August, the game’s sixth and so far largest expansion patch, The Fall of Oriath, was officially released for PC and XBOX One next to the launch of the new Harbinger Challenge League. Combined, players were presented with six new acts in a new story progression, several new skill gems and unique items, as well as extra character slot sales to get started in the league.

Path of Exile’s similarity to Blizzard’s Diablo series in terms of gameplay, and its rise in August’s ranking, might be contributing factors to Diablo III’s 6-spot decline. While Diablo III had just managed to re-enter at #12 in July, the game was not able to retain enough players in the subsequent month, facing the biggest drop in August’s Top 20.

Farming Simulator 2017 and Guild Wars 2 are back at it again

After dropping out in July, Focus Home Interactive’s Farming Simulator 2017 made a comeback in rank #13 in August. This was likely sparked by the announcement of the Platinum Edition, which promises to offer the most complete experience for players yet by enriching the game with a multitude of new features and gameplay possibilities. Moreover, the game was available at a 50% discount toward the end of July, leading to even more sessions played since its last appearance in the ranking.

While NCSoft’s award-winning MMORPG Guild Wars 2 dropped out in June, it climbed back up to #15 in August’s Top 20. On August 1st, the pre-purchasable expansion pack, Path of Fire, was announced and will be released at the end of September. Being just the second extension for the five-year-old game, this might have turned some players’ heads again. However, it remains to be seen how it will be received and if Guild Wars 2 can hold onto, or even boost, its position in the ranking.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Join over 15,000 professionals and stay up to date with our latest news & insights

Newzoo uses the information you provide to us to contact you about our relevant content, updates, and services. You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information, check out our Privacy Policy.